Power of the Nephalem
by Xylar
Summary: The wizard unveils her prophecy and explains her part in it to her companion, Kormac. Kormac ponders on the revealed truths and realization of what the wizard truly is. Kormac POV. Oneshot.


Power of the nephalem

'May I ask you something, Xiang?'

Xiang turned her attention from the ancient tome to Kormac, her templar friend and companion. 'Certainly, Kormac. What would you ask?'

'Do you truly believe you are guided by prophecy?'

Xiang looked surprised for a second, but quickly recovered. 'Why, yes, ofcourse. Prophecies are often vague and even more often misinterpreted, but they are never wrong, my friend. You would do well to remember that.'

'But what if you misinterpreted your prophecy? What if you are not the one it speaks of? And even if you are, you cannot truly believe you are beyond death because you haven't fulfilled your part in the prophecy yet… can you?'

Xiang chuckled. 'Your concern is noted, Kormac, but I assure you I am quite certain of my role. As for my death, it will come when it will come. I do not seek it, but I cannot allow it to stand in the way of my destiny as well. I will fight, because I must. I must know.'

Kormac nodded and stroked his chin contemplatively, while poking the campfire absentmindedly. 'May I hear this prophecy of yours?'

Xiang's face opened up in a bright smile. 'Why, Kormac, I thought you'd never ask. Ofcourse you may.' Xiang cleared her throat and recited the prophecy she knew by heart.

'When fire streaks across the sky, and stars sear through our world, the dead again will rise and evil come unveiled. With power restored and man again as once they were, hope will remain aided by justice.'

Kormac, who had listened attentively, reacted, 'That is quite vague. Are all prophecies this obscure in their meaning?'

Xiang laughed. 'Only the ones worth reading, my friend.'

'So if I understand correctly, fire across the sky is the fallen star. The dead rising was the skeleton king?'

'Yes, I believe so,' Xiang agreed.

'And evil comes unveiled. Unveiled,' he muttered. 'What a peculiar way of phrasing. Unveiling, as in truth? Opposite of lies? Belial?'

'Exactly. That's very astute of you, Kormac. I never pegged you as the scholarly type.'

Kormac straightened his shoulders and said, 'We have many tomes and books in the Order. Training one's mind is as important as training one's body. Maybe even more so. But I must confess, I never really took to them.'

There was a short silence between the two for a short time. Kormac was mentally chewing on the next part of the prophecy, while Xiang eagerly awaited to see what he would come up with. Her eyes glinted with expectation and her shoulder tensed. This was the part where she came in.

'Power restored… power restored and man as once they were… what could this mean? Man with the power of old? What manner of power?'

'Nephalem,' Xiang said. Kormac looked up at Xiang as the word hung between the two companions. Kormac was the first to break the silence, waving his hand for Xiang to continue.

'Man was not always as they are now. In ancient times, we had power. Great power. Enough of it to rival the laws of Heaven and the chaos of Hell. Enough to resist both of them and carve out our own destinies. Forge our own fates. They were called Nephalem.'

'What happened?' Kormac asked, enthralled with the story.

Xiang's mouth drew downward in a sneer and her face hardened as she bitterly continued. 'The Worldstone. It robbed them of their power. Not the actual Nephalem, mind you. They remained unchanged. But their offspring grew weaker and weaker, with each passing generation. Until they became the people we are now. Weak, unable to resist even the smallest demon and fawning over even the smallest ray of light the Heavens send down to us. Until finally, no more Nephalem remained. Only humans as they are now.'

Kormac listened intently. 'But the worldstone… it is gone now'

'Yes, destroyed by Tyrael. And that is what the prophecy is referring to. The restoration of man's power as once they were. The return of the Nephalem! Do you see now?'

Kormac frowned deeply and looked at Xiang darkly. 'You believe yourself Nephalem? Are they even real? What if you're wrong?'

'But I'm not wrong, Kormac. Everything fits. Can't you see? All the pieces of the prophecy fall together. Every last one has fallen into place. Think on it. When was the worldstone destroyed? 20 years ago. How old do you think me?'

Kormac had never really thought about that. For much of their time together, only Xiang's skill in combat had mattered. He'd never really stopped to think about her as a person, simply because there was little time to do so. But now he realized why the girl was so obsessed with her prophecy. '20 years,' he sighed. It was not a question.

'20 years,' she confirmed. 'I am Nephalem. And I am not alone, though the others have yet to emerge. We will find each other, in time. I do not yet know what will happen then, but I simply must know more.'

Kormac was lost in feverish thought now. Ofcourse! It explained so much. Why the girl was so strong despite her age. Why demons crumbled before her as though they were no more then rabid dogs. He had to admit that he could not find a flaw in her assumption. Where else would such power come from?

'Your prophecy,' Kormac questioned, 'how does it end?'

Xiang laughed sincerely, a sound that was both musical and mystical. 'That is but the question, Kormac. Only the journey is written. Not the end. Never the end. That is the whole point. We make our own ends. That.. is what it means to be truly human.'

A few hours later, Xiang had turned in for the night while Kormac took the first shift of the night. _Nephalem, _he thought, _could it be? Have they really returned? And even if they have, does she have enough power to defeat a Lord of Hell? It was one thing to combat demons and cultists and another matter entirely to defeat a Lord of Hell. An embodiment of all the vices of men. Could any human truly hope to defeat such a monstrosity?_

He woke Xiang up for her shift.

'I hope that what you say is true, my sorcerous friend.'

Xiang smirked. 'You have nothing to fear, Kormac. I don't think it is. I know it is. It is… destiny.'

Kormac nodded, lay down for the night only to stand back up. 'Xiang? You do know Maghda is setting us up to walk right into her trap, right?' Kormac, ever cautious, did not relish getting caught in the middle of his sleep. It never hurt to make sure your companions knew what was what, power or no.

'Yes,' Xiang replied, 'I hope so.' Her eyes lit up eerily and her body crackled with immense magical powers at her disposal. 'I hope so.' She repeated and smiled darkly. Kormac shuddered involuntarily. He did not know if demons could experience fear, but if they could, they would have good reason to fear this wizard.

_Author's note: I took some liberties with the story of the game to make it fit my story, so not everything you read corresponds with events in the game. Most importantly, the prophecy and the knowledge of the wizard of past events was added by me, and not part of the actual game. _


End file.
